Spurs 88, Magic 87

Spurs 88, Magic 87

Spurs 88, Magic 87

FRED GOODALL

Oct. 15, 1997

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) _ Malik Rose's short bank shot with 15.4 seconds remaining gave the San Antonio Spurs an 88-87 exhibition victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.

The Spurs (3-0) rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final nine minutes, wiping out most of the Magic's lead with an 11-0 spurt that set the stage for a see-saw finish.

Chuck Person's 3-pointer trimmed Orlando's lead to 85-84, and Will Perdue's layup put San Antonio up 86-85 with 36 seconds to go. The Magic regained the lead on a pair of free throws by Penny Hardaway, then couldn't get the ball to the star guard after Rose made the winning shot.

Nick Anderson inbounded the ball to Rony Seikaly, who gave it up to Derek Harper when Hardaway was unable to break free. With the clock running down, Harper took a 13-foot jumper that bounced off the rim.

David Robinson led the Spurs with 14 points in 24 minutes. Perdue had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Rose finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Tim Duncan, the first pick in the NBA draft, was limited to 13 minutes of action after leaving the game in the first quarter with a cut over his left eye that required stitches.

Duncan, defending a pass to Seikaly, jumped into the Magic center's elbow as they went for the ball. He was called for a foul on the play, and did not return until the third quarter.

Hardaway led the Magic with 21 points. Seikaly had 19, while Horace Grant had 11 points and 11 rebounds after missing Orlando's first two exhibitions because of a sore back.

In recognition of the American Basketball Association's 30th anniversary, the Magic honored former ABA and NBA stars Julius Erving and George Gervin at halftime and the teams played the first two quarters with a red, white and blue ball.

Erving is an executive vice president with the Magic, while Gervin works in community relations for the Spurs. The players, both Hall of Famers, were presented with ABA-style balls autographed by players on both teams.